Current and future vehicles are incorporating increasing numbers of on-board sensors and systems to enable or aid critical vehicle functions including Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Parking Assistance, Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Forward Collision with Active Braking, Blind Spot Warning (BSW), Lane Keeping Systems (LKS), and others. These technologies provide direct driver assistance in normal driving and critical scenarios, and some are even capable of enhancing driver control or providing autonomous control to prevent or mitigate a crash or negative outcome.
To accommodate the many sensors, actuators, and control systems being employed for such features, manufacturers are implementing increasingly sophisticated data communication networks in each vehicle. The 3rd generation Distributed System Interface (DSI3) standard published by the DSI Consortium (dsiconsortium.org) provides one example of such a communication network.
DSI3 and other communication standards must contend with a unique set of circumstances that challenge their performance. The networks are portable, battery powered (i.e., low voltage), with wire runs long enough to cause (and be susceptible to) electromagnetic interference (EMI). The networks should be resistant to vibration effects, yet remain inexpensive and easy to repair. The DSI3 standard has thrived by offering a number of desirable features including single-conductor communication with optionally integrated power delivery. However, the signal conductor is unshielded and carries a single-ended (as opposed to differential) unipolar signal. Attempts to increase the rate of data communication across the DSI3 bus's single signal conductor are being impaired by the industry's strict limits on EMI emissions.